Tag Archives: Typhoon Haiyan

When Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, I believed it was important to inform the students about this disaster. The class had done CLOSE reading work on the articles regarding Superstorm Sandy (which hit the east coast last year) and how children have responded to that disaster.

Then, we read the article about Typhoon Haiyan by Time for Kids. The students could not believe that such a devastating storm had hit the Philippines a mere three weeks ago. We watched a music video to the song “We Are the World” which showed images of the aftermath of the storm. The students were moved by the images they saw.

When asked about the video and how it made them feel, a student responded “There were many people on the streets; I can’t believe how poor people around the world are. I felt so sad for all those people. I just can’t believe it,” Jasmeen wrote.

“I felt sad. The people were left with no homes or food to eat,” Jagger commented.

Logan B added, “This video made me feel sad and it also made me think about how thankful I am for what I have.”

The students realized the impact this disaster has had around the world and they saw how people wanted to help this impoverished country. Nicole R stated, “Lots of people are heart broken about the people that live there.”

Benson declared, “The video showed destroyed houses and homeless or displaced people, including newborns. I want to help if I can.”

We brainstormed as a class all the ways we would like to help. Students thought we could raise money, collect goods to donate, volunteer to help rebuild houses, and send supplies including construction equipment. As a class, we decided that raising money would be the most realistic way we could help. We made fliers and decorated donation jars.

In order to make a larger impact, we decided to ask our whole school to participate. Students went around to the other classrooms on campus and shared our vision to help the Philippines. They also left donation jars in every classroom. Any student who donates a dollar receives a heart that they can write their name on and add to our hallway bulletin board.

Our class is going to analyze the websites of the many foundations that are sending help to the victims of the Philippines. We will choose our foundation that we would like to donate through and send the money we raised to help.